Dad Is the Demonic Cult Leader – Chapter 171

Chapter 171

“Khahahahahahaha!!!”

Yang Demon Baek Won-gyo suddenly burst into laughter like a madman and said.

“You! You’re undoubtedly a reckless brat whose arrogance reaches the heavens, but your guts are impressive! So I’ll give you special treatment. Originally, I was going to peel off your skin and tear your limbs apart, but I’ll send you straight to the underworld!”

Yang Demon seemed fed up with me, who wouldn’t back down and kept running my mouth, but on the other hand, he seemed amused.

Actually, I understood how Yang Demon felt.

Wouldn’t it be natural for him to be amused by a young punk spouting nonsense at him, who once filled the martial world with fear?

If it were me, I’d burst into laughter in disbelief.

Besides, the Yin-Yang Twin Demons remained as good people in my memory, so I found Yang Demon rather cute.

So,

“Grandpa Won-gyo…… you’re cute?”

I just stayed true to my feelings.

“Wha…… What?!”

“Honestly, it’s cute seeing a short and chubby person like you bursting into laughter and imitating the King of Hell.”

Then……

Swoosh━.

The atmosphere in the area suddenly froze, colder than frost.

Yang Demon, who was arguing with me, and Yin Demon, who was watching me from beside him.

Even Master Dongbyeok, Master Dokson, and Baek-san standing behind me……

But I didn’t care about their piercing gazes and expressed my thoughts without filtering.

“Why? Are you asking because you want to hear me say you’re cute again, or are you offended that a young guy like me called you cute?”

“Jin So-cheon…… I’ve never experienced such a humiliating moment in my life.”

“Grandpa Yang Demon. Remember this one thing.”

“……”

“The authority of a martial artist doesn’t come from age, nor from status or wealth.”

“What?”

“Only from martial arts.”

“……!”

“Martial artists speak only with their martial arts.”

Srrrng━.

At the same time, I subtly drew out So-yun Sword.

Yang Demon’s pupils shook violently like a wrecked ship in a storm.

◈ ◈ ◈

Yang Demon Baek Won-gyo was known as a master of Palm Techniques within the Demonic Cult.

Especially his signature technique, the Two Harmony Toad Technique, boasted tremendous destructive power and lethality, and was considered to be on par with the Shaolin’s Tathagata Palm and the Beggars’ Sect’s Eighteen Dragon Palms, which are called the strongest palm techniques in the world.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang━!

As expected……

Sensing my attack, Yang Demon immediately responded with a powerful palm technique.

‘Even a decent-sized rock would turn to dust.’

Of course, I could avoid his attack and protect myself with the Fast Whale Steps, but it was clear that if I were to get hit by that monstrous palm technique even once, my Protective Aura would shatter.

“You’ve got quite the fast body!”

Yang Demon, having seized the momentum with a single blow, said to me in a triumphant tone as he retreated a short distance.

I smirked and shook my head.

“Grandpa. Why are you getting so excited? The fight has just begun.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Yang Demon’s eyes widened at my continued provocation.

He then unleashed a series of lightning-fast attacks. I couldn’t help but feel a chill down my spine at the nimble footwork and rapid, consecutive palm strikes that didn’t suit his chubby body.

Kwakwakwang……!

Kwajijijik━!

Yang Demon’s palm energy that cut through the air devastated the bamboo in the bamboo forest.

“Oh my god……!”

“Huh…… The Yin-Yang Twin Demons are truly amazing.”

“Crazy……!”

At the same time, the astonished voices of Master Dongbyeok, Master Dokson, and Baek-san reached my ears.

“He’s not just good at bragging, he’s got some decent palm techniques too?”

Of course, I was surprised as well.

It was only natural……

‘He’s gathering energy in his palms as if it’s nothing…… It’s a difficult technique to defend against.’

The reason was that Yang Demon’s palm techniques had no preliminary movements or warning signs.

For example……

Even skilled fist or palm technique users inevitably show some ‘signs’ before unleashing their Fist Aura or Palm Energy.

Of course, even if you see the ‘signs,’ it doesn’t mean you can block it, and it’s scary because there’s no way to defend against it even if you know it’s coming.

The human body is inherently an unsuitable vessel for containing energy compared to a sword or a saber, so it’s inevitable that there will be warning signs when using internal energy.

But Yang Demon’s palm techniques showed no such ‘signs.’

Like an active volcano erupting lava naturally……

From Yang Demon’s hands, a tremendous energy that seemed capable of collapsing Mount Tai erupted like flowing water.

‘If I keep dodging like this, it’ll never end…… I have nothing to lose in terms of internal energy now, so let’s clash head-on.’

However……

I currently have a way to block Yang Demon’s overwhelming palm techniques.

‘I have to fight head-on.’

Fight head-on……

Trusting in my current internal energy, which has reached 9 Jiazi,

“Grandpa…… Let’s see if your palm technique is stronger or my Sword Aura is stronger.”

I launched myself into Yang Demon’s palm techniques that were swirling like a gale, with So-yun Sword in hand.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Sect Leader!”

“So-cheon, you……!”

“So-cheon!”

Perhaps……

Master Dongbyeok, Master Dokson, and Baek-san must have been shocked to see me throw myself into the onslaught of palm techniques.

Even Yin Demon and Yang Demon himself seemed to feel that way, and I understood their feelings completely.

It must be like watching a moth fly into a flame, knowing it will die.

It was nothing short of madness for a swordsman to abandon the advantage of distance and charge towards a master of palm techniques with such explosive internal energy and deadly destructive power.

But I wanted to do something crazy.

No……

I just wanted to become a madman.

Kwawkwa kwakwakwakwang━!

Because true enlightenment can only be achieved when you’re crazy.

“Sect Leader!!!”

“That crazy……!”

“So-cheon, you……! Are you out of your mind?”

I……

At this moment, I wanted to sheathe So-yun Sword and face Yang Demon with the Ten Invincible Hand Techniques.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang━!

As Yang Demon’s palm technique and my fist collided, a massive explosion of energy created a whirlwind around us.

For a moment, Yang Demon’s eyes flashed with a fierce Killing Intent.

“You bastard! Are you trying to humiliate me?!”

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

At the same time, Yang Demon roared, and the internal energy contained in his voice shot out like a Lion’s Roar. I raised my internal energy even higher to protect my ears and threw out a punch, then abruptly changed its trajectory and struck Yang Demon’s head with my elbow.

Kwakwakwaaaaang!

But Yang Demon skillfully deflected my elbow with his palm technique, and I stumbled from the impact. However,

Tat!

I immediately struck the ground with my left hand, using the rebound to get back on my feet, and aimed for Yang Demon’s throat with a kick.

Paaaaaaaaaang━!

Of course, my kick failed to land this time as well.

Yang Demon’s reflexes were incredibly fast, to the point of being infuriating.

I wondered how he could react so quickly with such a stout body……

His martial arts techniques were flawless and perfectly balanced, making him seem like an impenetrable fortress.

“You’re resorting to petty tricks! But you won’t be able to block this one!!”

Moreover……

Yang Demon was even intelligent in his approach to the fight.

He must have anticipated that I would engage in unarmed combat the moment I sheathed my sword.

Perhaps because of that, he unleashed a straightforward, linear, and simple palm strike. The speed and trajectory of the incoming attack were so well-executed that I was faced with a situation where I had to either meet it head-on or retreat at least five steps to escape.

‘Here I go!’

But at that moment……

Paaaaaaaaaang━!

Without retreating an inch, I unleashed a burst of Fist Aura to counter Yang Demon’s palm strike head-on.

Puuuuuuuuung!!!

A deafening roar that seemed to shake heaven and earth erupted, and the crushed earth and bamboo fragments scattered in all directions.

‘……This is a whole new world.’

I……

Was momentarily engulfed in a strange sensation I had never experienced before.

It was definitely a feeling close to ‘exhilaration.’

‘This is…… a true head-on confrontation.’

Actually……

My fighting style is cunning and sly.

Take the Ten Invincible Hand Techniques, for example. While it seems crude, there’s a very clever principle hidden behind it. It’s a martial art that weaponizes the entire body, from punches and kicks to headbutts, including knees, elbows, shoulders, and back, allowing for diverse and unpredictable situations.

And such multifaceted attacks confuse the opponent, and I never miss the opportunity to deliver a decisive blow in that gap.

Not only that?

My specialty, ‘Swordsmanship,’ is the Three Calamities Sword Technique, which is considered a third-class martial art. However, my Three Calamities Sword Technique has a unique quality that cannot be found in the conventional Mount Tai Pressing Down, Eight Directions Wind and Rain, or Sweeping Across a Thousand Armies.

It lies in the combination of techniques that change appropriately according to each situation, and what makes this possible is my understanding and application of martial arts.

But because of that, I had to stick to a bothersome fighting style that didn’t suit my personality.

What I mean is……

Most of my opponents are top-tier experts, and compared to them, I, who lack any special techniques or profound internal energy, had to resort to all sorts of tricks and shenanigans to achieve victory.

“Y…… You…… Did you really take my palm strike head-on?!”

But now it’s different.

No, I wanted it to be different.

Instead of fighting cunningly like I did against Yang Demon, an old man, analyzing everything from the compatibility of martial arts to the opponent’s habits, and exploiting their weaknesses to win……

I wanted to fight a battle of strength, just smashing into them head-on.

I wanted to try a real ‘manly’ fight, overwhelming the opponent with sheer ‘force.’

“Grandpa…… You can’t kill me even if you keep throwing those meaningless palm strikes for a hundred or a thousand days.”

And now, having gained 9 Jiazi of internal energy……

I was finally able to have that kind of fight.

“I have so much internal energy to spare. Even if your Toad Technique is amazing, I can just chew it up with my internal energy, so it’s hopeless, isn’t it?”

What must Yang Demon be feeling right now?

Judging by his expression, he seems to be thinking nothing……

But from his mouth came dry words that didn’t convey any emotion.

“Jin So-cheon……”

“……”

“You’re a scary one……”

“I haven’t even shown you anything scary yet, so what are you going to do if I do?”

“So you’re saying you have something even scarier?”

“It’s not just that I have it, I haven’t even started yet, Grandpa.”

Then……

Thud━.

Suddenly, Yang Demon got down on all fours, his arms and legs pressed against the ground.

I was dumbfounded by this absurd situation and asked bluntly.

“What are you doing? Can you suddenly go senile while fighting?”

But Yin Demon’s reaction was quite different from mine.

“Won-gyo……! You……!!”

What is it?

Based on the situation, I could guess that Yang Demon either had a serious mental illness that I didn’t know about, or

He was about to unleash an earth-shattering ultimate technique……

“Jin So-cheon…… I never thought I’d have to show you my Yin-Yang Toad Technique, which I’ve dedicated my entire life to in Chang’an.”

As expected…… it was the latter.

“Yin-Yang Toad Technique…… That’s a fancy name. Usually, techniques with fancy names are nothing special.”

“You’ll change your mind once you experience it.”

Suddenly……

Gulp━.

Yang Demon’s cheeks, as he lay on the ground like a toad, swelled up bizarrely with a strange rumbling sound.

“I don’t know how strong it is, but it looks a bit gruesome, Grandpa?”

Although I said that……

‘This is…… enough to make even a top-tier expert piss their pants, shit!’

I realized that the immense energy emanating from Yang Demon’s entire body was in perfect harmony of Yin and Yang.

‘I can’t take this head-on with pure internal energy…… My body would explode.’

So I immediately changed my stance.

A battle of strength against strength?

A true ‘manly’ fight?

Who would avenge my frustration if my body exploded while shouting such nonsense and facing that Toad Divine Art?

Chaaeeeeeeng━!

In the end, I drew So-yun Sword.

I have to win somehow.

Goooooooo……!

I unleashed the power of the Water attribute and combined it with the Cold Energy of So-yun Sword, and the surrounding objects began to freeze solid.

“Come on in, Grandpa.”

“……”

“I’ll turn you into a frozen toad.”